Four Little Words
by HeeroYuy84
Summary: One-shot idea based off of episode 49 of Zeta Gundam. Jerid Mesa's thoughts during his final showdown with Camille Vidan. As you can imagine, contains some considerable spoilers...a little black humor as well.


Four Little Words

UC 0087

_He's out there…I know he is!_

With an intense determination, Jerid Mesa searched the battlefield.

His target was out there amongst those lights. Probably causing some of them.

He'd already killed enough people leading to this point, he probably wasn't gonna stop now.

Not unless Jerid stopped him.

_Where the Hell are you hiding, you bastard?_

He was growing angry now. Up ahead, a team of Nemos was closing in on him.

A quick blast of the beam shotgun took care of them.

_Miserable pests,_ he swore to himself, _quit hiding and show yourself!_

These grunts meant nothing to him. As far as he saw it, he had only one enemy in this battle: The Zeta Gundam.

Camille Vidan!

He'd caught up to him once already, but the little brat had gotten away.

That wouldn't happen next time. Next time, Jerid planned to finish it. He'd already lost enough to this kid. Lila. Kakricon. Maua. All people he'd cared for, all slain by this kid.

To add insult to injury, all of his attempts to avenge them had been in vain. Sent reeling with broken machines, injured pride, and a heavy shame for those still not avenged.

This Baund Doc, however, felt different. With this, he could feel the final showdown was imminent.

There…!

His sight had been caught at first by a battleship burning. AEUG from the looks of it. Next to it though, he saw his target.

That white MS that had taken so much from him.

_Not anymore!_

With that final thought, he charged the Gundam in his MA mode.

The Gundam lurched sharply. He apparently didn't see him coming.

_So much for the great Newtype ace…_ Jerid thought with a smile as his suit's claws held fast to the Zeta.

"You won't escape me this time, Camille!" he taunted over the comm.

_"Lieutenant Jerid!"_ the comm spit back.

Admittedly, it was a bit cocky of Jerid, but at the same time, he wanted to let this punk know just who was going to be the one to finish him. Otherwise, the vengeance wouldn't feel as complete.

In front of them, the AEUG battleship had begun to sink.

To Jerid's surprise, this seemed to strike a nerve with Camille. Over the speakers, he suddenly heard the boy let out an anguished scream.

What happened next caught Jerid almost off-guard. Regaining himself, Camille had apparently managed to break free of his grasp. Jerid then felt a sudden lurch as the Gundam turned and proceeded to throw Jerid's Baund Doc, a task made easier by its mobile armor mode.

Trying to avoid his opponent's scattered shots, Jerid switched back into his mobile suit mode.

"You'll never take this Baunc Doc out if that's all you've got!"

With that taunt, Jerid started returning fire. On some level, he couldn't help but enjoy seeing his opponent's grief.

_That's right,_ he thought, seeing his opponent duck behind an asteroid, _now you know how it feels!_

_"It's because of people like you that all this fighting never ends! Go away!"_ the voice of Camille bit back at him over the comm.

It took all of Jerid's restraint to not openly laugh right then and there.

Camille, of all people, blaming _him_ for being the reason the fighting had never stopped. This war might have ended a long time ago had that self-righteous little brat not stolen a Mk-II and joined the AEUG.

Now this short-tempered boy with his hands stained in blood had the gall to accuse him of being the reason the war had continued, when all this time he'd been fighting to restore order.

The more he thought about it, the more any humor he found in the situation was now checked by the intense anger he now felt at such a claim from Camille of all people.

"You've got some nerve saying that to me!" he shouted, charging him.

Grabbing the suit from behind, part of him just wanted to let that angry voice in his head take over. To just use his claws to try and rip the suit apart here and now. At the same time, however, there was something he still wanted to tell this guy first. He wanted to make sure Camille knew that he was the one who had wronged Jerid here.

"You're the reason I keep fighting!" he shouted, making sure he wouldn't be ignored, "I haven't murdered nearly as many people as you!"

_"I'm not…I AM NOT A MURDERER!"_

The response made Jerid feel a bit of gratification. He'd struck a nerve.

On one level, he wanted to be able to savor this. On another, however, he knew he'd already taken too long finishing off the Zeta. This had to end now.

"If you're too tired of fighting," he said with a smile, "I'll help you to die right here!"

What happened next caught him off guard.

With a loud crashing noise, Jerid felt himself knocked sharply to his right. The Zeta had managed to kick free.

_Now!_ he thought to himself _in the back before he can recover!_

Unfortunately for him, Camille had managed the turn before he could land a kill shot.

As each exchanged a few more shots, the battle turned…and not in the way Jerid had hoped.

His suit lurched sharply back almost before he could realize what had happened. The Zeta had managed two direct hits through his suit.

Surprised by the sudden throw back, Jerid let out a shout as the Baund Doc now drifted backwards. To Jerid's dismay, he was heading right into the sinking AEUG ship.

Looking forward again, he saw the Zeta staring at him. His rage swelling as he saw it.

"Camille…If it weren't for you…!"

As he said this, it happened.

It was a phenomenon he'd always heard about in stories but had never really put much stock into.

The old idea that people, as they died, would see their lives flash before their eyes.

Now it seemed to be happening to him.

Thanks to his rage, however, it all seemed to be focused on the part of his life that had to do with Camille. More to the point, how this brat had ruined his life.

He saw it all now.

Maua, the woman he loved, who was killed shielding him from the Zeta's attack. As she died, she told Jerid he could beat Camille.

Kakricon, one of his best friends and wingmen, who has burned up in the atmosphere over Jaburo trying to destroy Camille.

Lila, who had taught Jerid how to truly fight in space. To truly sense others and not just rely on his computers. Camille had destroyed her outside Side 1. As she died, she told Jerid he had the potential as well.

He'd failed them all.

Why?

Why was this stupid kid who'd not had any sort of real training able to beat him time and again?

What was this stupid kid even DOING in the AEUG?

Then the final piece fell into place.

The day it all happened. All those months back at Green Noah.

The day the Gundams were stolen.

More to the point, the day he'd first met Camille.

Replaying the scene in his mind, one fragment kept playing in his head.

_"Camille? That's a girl's name…Oh…but it's a boy."_

_"Camille? That's a girl's name…"_

_"That's a girl's name…"_

That was it…

Those four little words.

Those were the words that made Camille get angry. Those were the words that made him punch out Jerid. This led to Jerid and his friends beating the little snot. This led to Camille being placed under arrest. On some level, he felt this had somehow led to the Mk-II being stolen.

He couldn't believe it.

With those four words he'd created a monster.

With those four words, he'd destroyed everyone he ever cared for.

With those four words, he may have very well signed the Titans' death warrant.

As the explosion filled his cockpit and blackness took him, one final thought entered Jerid's mind…another four little words…but really, the only four that seemed fitting right now.

_…son of a bitch!_

NOTES: Not much to really say here.

Thanks for reading.

Thanks to assorted friends and family for not reporting me to the proper authorities despite being given many opportunities to (and thanks to Walker for giving this a pre-read.)

Until next time (…which…hopefully won't take a few years this time.)


End file.
